‘Twas The Night Before Christmas….

Way back when I was a little kiddo, my favorite Christmas book was “Jolly Old Santa Claus”.  This sweet story took you on a tour of Santa’s North Pole workshop, showing Santa and his elves as they prepared for Christmas Eve. I loved looking for Jingles the elf and Whiskers the cat as the elves decorated ornaments, baked cookies, and got the reindeer ready for the big night.

I recently came across a reproduction of this book and have fallen in love with the illustrator George Hinke.  Take a look!

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George Hinke was born in Berlin, Germany in 1883 and learned a classic style of painting.  His illustrations for the book “Jolly Old Santa Claus” are done in oil on stretched canvas.  I love looking for the influences of Hinke’s German background in these paintings – Santa’s castle resembles the castles of Bavarian King Ludwig, and Santa’s elves remind us of the stone elves that often decorate German gardens.  There is even a Black Forest clock hanging in Santa’s workshop!

Merry Christmas, friends!

 

Third Grade Elves

Sometimes, my third grade artists have discovered, we make art just for FUN.  Turning themselves into silly elves was just plain….fun, with a little creative problem solving thrown in as they figured out how to make elf-inspired clothing.

 

This project was inspired by Pinterest!  See more at “Art With Mrs. Chiddo” (scroll down to see their sweet first grade elves!)